Happy Pancake Day!

Here in Montreal, even though the weather is getting milder every week, there is still lots of snow on the ground and the temperatures are staying below zero. Because of how cold it’s been this winter, this year, more than ever, I have been trying to do micro culinary trips to the tropics by eating lots of kiwis, mangos, bananas, coconuts, pineapples, oranges, and dragon fruits.

All these tropical fruits transport me right to the beaches of Cuba where I’ve travelled to multiple times, to the warmth of Peru, to breath taking Ometepe Island in Nicaragua and to the beautiful country of Guatemala. I don’t think I could see myself living in a hot country my whole life, as surprising as it might seem, but I hold culinary and non-culinary memories created in these tropical places very dear to my heart. That is why, every time tropical fruits are on sale at the grocery store, let me tell you, my cart is FULL with them!

Coming back to these pancakes. Out of habit I guess, I tend to always eat my pancakes with berries and bananas so I thought, why not give them a little tropical makeover?

In terms of the batter, it is rather simple to make. I used a mixture of all-purpose gluten free flour, oat flour and almond flour. I find that the AP flour adds a nice lightness to the pancakes, the oat flour makes them more chewy with notes of nuts and finally the almond flour adds a lovely richness.

I also added some unsweetened shredded coconut for its tropical flavour and some flax to help the pancakes hold together better, while adding in some healthy fats. What I love about these pancakes is that they are super quick to put together; they are moist and fluffy, all while containing 0 refined sugar!

In terms of toppings, I treated myself to my absolute favorite combination of tropical fruits: mangoes + kiwis + blood oranges! All these tropical delicacies are sitting on a bed of creamy, silky coconut yogurt and garnished with some extra shredded coconut.

I find these pancakes to be sweetened to perfection as is, with the dates inside the batter and the very sweet toppings. However, if you want them to be even sweeter, my suggestion: a generous drizzle of maple syrup!

If you are looking to travel to the tropics in the middle of winter or even in the middle of summer (‘cause we are not all lucky to live by the ocean!), then you should really give these pancakes a try. I promise, they will not disappoint! If you do end up making them, I would love it if you shared it on Instagram and tag me in your post (@muriellebanackissa).

NOTES:* To make oat flour yourself, simply add oats to a blender or a food processor and blend until you obtain a powder-like consistency.** I used unsweetened cashew milk, but you could use any plant based milk you have in your fridge. To give these pancakes a stronger coconut flavour, swap out 1 cup of plant based milk with some LIGHT coconut milk. *** Toast coconut in a pan for 2-3 minutes on medium heat, stirring regularly to avoid burning.